The thrill of victory at the Olympics

The Olympics are a celebration of remarkable athletic achievements. The results can be spectacular, from the dominance of swimmer Michael Phelps (below, left) to the clutch performances of American gymnasts Aly Raisman (top) and Gabby Douglas. After training for so long and finally accomplishing their goal, many athletes display their emotions for all to see. We rounded up some of the best photos from these Olympic Games that capture the thrill of winning it all.
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AP

American gymnast Alexandra Raisman, who is from Needham, performed the last and deciding exercise during the artistic gymnastics women's team final. Knowing that a good performace would earn her team the gold medal, Raisman was overcome with emotions after completing her last tumblng pass, bursting into tears of joy. ...
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AP

... Moments later, Aly Raisman and her teammates celebrated as they looked up at the scoreboard that showed the United States had indeed won gold.
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AFP/Getty Images

American Kayla Harrison reacted after winning the gold medal in the women's 78kg judo contest final match. Harrison, who has told her very personal story of abuse to help other victims, sprinted into the stands to hug her fiance.
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AP

American gymnast Gabrielle Douglas had her own golden moment, winning the women's all-around competition. After a floor exercise that she knew was good enough for the win, Douglas displayed her trademark smile.
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AP

Michael Phelps (right), the most decorated athlete in Olympic history, celebrated with teammate Ryan Lochte (left) after the pair won gold and silver medals respectively in the men's 200-meter individual medley swimming final.
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REUTERS

Ryan Lochte of the US (right) celebrated with Japan's Kosuke Hagino after winning gold and bronze respectively in the men's 400-meter individual medley final.
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AP

Winning a team event seems to up the level of the celebration. US men's relay team members Conor Dwyer, Ryan Lochte, Ricky Berens, and Michael Phelps (left to right) celebrated their gold medal win in the men's 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay.
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REUTERS

One of the more animated celebrations came from Poland's Tomasz Majewski, who won the men's shot put final.
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Reuters Photo

Michael Phelps had more celebrating to do later in the Games. Phelps took home the gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly, his final individual event, giving him 17 gold medals for his career. During the race, he came from seventh at the turn to overpower his rivals and win in a time of 51.21 seconds.
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Jamaica's Usain Bolt can claim that he is the fastest man in the world by virtue of winning the men's 100-meter final in London. Bolt didn't waste much time after crossing the finish line, celebrating his victory mid-stride.
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AP

Members of the US women's 4 x 100-meter medley relay team (right to left) Dana Vollmer, Rebecca Soni, and Missy Franklin celebrated as Allison Schmitt finished the race and the team claimed the gold medal.
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AP

American teenager Missy Franklin had her own chance to shine, winning the gold medal in the women's 200-meter backstroke.
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REUTERS

Danell Leyva of the US caputed the bronze medal in the men's all-around gymnastics competition. When he was done with his horizontal bar routine, he knew he had done something special.
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REUTERS

The US women's soccer team overcame three one-goal deficits in its match against Canada before prevailing in overtime, in the final minute of injury time. Abby Wambach (center) celebrated after teammate Alex Morgan looped in a 6-yard header on a long cross from Heather O'Reilly, giving the U.S. a 4-3 win.
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REUTERS

Alex Morgan (left) of the U.S. celebrated with her coach, Pia Sundhage, after defeating Canada in their women's semifinal soccer match.
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Kirani James of tiny Grenada celebrated after winning the gold medal in the men's 400-meter final. It was Grenada’s first Olympics medal.
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Ivan Ukhov of Russia celebrated after winning the gold medal in the men's high jump.
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AP

South Korea's Kim Hyeon-woo defeated Hungary's Tamas Lorincz in their gold medal match in the 66-kg Greco-Roman wrestling competition. When the match was over, Hyeon-woo let his emotions show.
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Behdad Salimikordasiabi (right) and Sajjad Anoushiravani Hamlabad, both of Iran, celebrated winning the gold and silver medal respectively in the men's +105kg weightlifting final.
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AP

In what may have been the biggest moment of exhalation of the Games, Great Britain's Andy Murray won the gold medal tennis match against Roger Federer. The match took place on Centre Court at Wimbledon, where Murray felt short in his attempt to win Wimbledon a month earlier.
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AFP/Getty Images

China's Li Xiaoxia (right) and Guo Yue celebrated a point against Japan's Kasumi Ishikawa and Sayaka Hirano during the table tennis women's team gold medal match. The pair would go on to win the gold.
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AFP/Getty Images

Great Britain's Chris Hoy celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men's keirin final cycling event at the Velodrome.
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